I was listening to a sermon when the preacher said something that left me and the congregation wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.
“Where the light shines brightest, the shadows are the deepest.”
Wow, profound, right?
In all likelihood, those of you reading are not a professional athlete playing in the glare of the national spotlight. Nor a celebrity (I don’t like this word, but I use it anyway), an actor, or someone on TV who you would stop on the street to take a selfie with.
These people still put their pants on one leg at a time and do what regular people like you and me do. Except the light shines brightest on them because of their talents, which you and I don’t have. I would love to throw a dart to the corner of the end zone to a receiver running at top speed, but that’s not my bag, baby,
What has this got to do with you and me and your health and fitness? Let’s explore together.
Light Shines Brightest
What are you good at? Think about that for a moment. It could be what makes you money, something you enjoy for fun, or a side hustle. Me, it’s coaching and writing about anything fitness-related.
That’s where the light shines brightest for me. What about you?
Although there is an occasional individual who is good at something right off the bat, most of us have to work at being good at a particular thing, and I’m no different. But just because you may be good at something doesn’t mean you always feel that way. Let me go back to talented people who are in the spotlight.
For some, their creative genius comes with a darker side.
Whether it’s childhood trauma, being bullied or told they are not good enough, or even addiction, some of their spark comes with baggage. Because of their talent and the persona, we don’t see what is going on behind the curtain when the light shines brightest.
Their baggage often takes the form of the stuff we see on the news when they misbehave or make the ultimate self-sacrifice. Exhibit one shows the many highly talented musicians whose dark side took over and are no longer with us. Are you beginning to recognize where the light shines brightest, the shadows are the deepest? The spotlight doesn’t hide what’s going on inside but only magnifies it.
That can sometimes be the same with you and me. Let me explain.
What It Has To Do With You
Have you considered what you are good at? If so, do you always think you’re good at it?
Almost every time I lose an email subscriber, no one watches the video I post, I lose a client, or my editor doesn’t get back to me, the doubts creep in. Yeah, I suck, nobody likes my stuff, and I should make like a turtle and withdraw into my shell.
Doubts.
Everybody has them, whether we are talking about this subject or not. The better you are at something (where the light shines brightest), the more doubts creep in when you’re having a bad day. Some are better at others at pushing past these doubts to keep on doing what they do. Me, I’m 50/50.
It’s similar to someone’s health and fitness journey. Individuals put the spotlight on themselves to act, put in the work, and try to be consistent about exercising and eating better. But then, on this journey, life happens as it often does, or you lack the result of all the hard work.
Then, for some, the doubts kick in. Maybe I suck at this exercise thing, or I should give up because I’m not the exercise type. These are two examples of the many doubts that will creep in when you put the exercise spotlight on yourself.
So, how do you get past these doubts about where the shadows are the deepest?
Without getting to Dr. Phil, here’s what I try to do when the light is bright and the shadows are deep.
When The Light Is Brightest, Here is How to Handle it
Permit yourself to fail and realize what happens in one instance has a minimal bearing on your ability to do the thing. Professional kickers miss game-winning field goals, your favorite artist releases a song that stinks, and even the best basketball players miss game-winning shots.
The one bad thing doesn’t affect their whole body of work, and they are still good at what they do. And so are you. Don’t let one thing that doesn’t go your way dent your belief about what you’re good at. Or stop you from going to the gym to kick ass. Show yourself self-compassion, develop a short memory, step into the batter’s box, and take another swing.
The light doesn’t do a good job of hiding things but bringing things to light. When your shadows are the deepest, and the doubts run rampant, realize you are not the only person who feels that way. Realize that one bad thing, day, or total fuck up doesn’t put a dent in your entire body of work.
Step up and demand the ball for that game-winning shot.
You owe yourself that much.
Leave a Reply